Instrument panel illuminator



July 28, 1959 e. PETERsbN, JR 2,397,344

INSTRUMEIINT PANEL ILLUMINATOR Filed May 2, 1957 I I Z4 7 25 ff"INVENTOR: I a ill! GEORGE PETERSON JR.

- 1 2a 3/ wmw/ /9 32 55 BY INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLWJNATOR George Peterson,Jr., Wayne, Pa., assignor to Penn Keystone Corporafion, Conshohocken,Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 2, 1957, Serial No.656,537

6 Claims. (Cl. 240--8.'16)

and it is necessary to illuminate the indicator without permittingdirect rays of light to pass through the panel sight opening. This isaccomplished according to the present invention by providing a separatesource of illumination in each instrument and by arranging louversintermediate the source of illumination and the dial so that the rays oflight will either strike the dial directly or be reflected from thelouvers to the dial, the louvers being so positioned to prevent the raysof light from directly striking the sight opening in the instrumentpanel for the dial.

With the foregoing in mind the principal object of the present inventionis to provide a novel instrument panel illuminator or the like whereinthe direct rays of light from the instrument panel illuminator areprevented from passing directly through the sight opening in theinstrument panel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel instrumentpanel illuminator having the above features which is of relatively smallsize and may be positioned Within a relatively small instrument case.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novelinstrument panel illuminator or the like having the features andcharacteristics set forth above which is of relatively simplifiedconstruction, may be manufactured easily and cheaply, and is entirelyefficient and effective in operation and use.

These and other objects of the present invention and the variousfeatures and details of the operation and construction thereof arehereinafter more fully set forth and described with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view partially in section of a conventionaldial type indicator positioned within an enclosed casing incorporatingthe instrument illuminator of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front view of the instrument of Fig. 1illustrating the illuminated Zone on the indicating dial;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the instrument panel illuminator ofthe present invention;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the instrument panel illuminator ofFig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the construction ofthe illuminator of the present invention; and

Fig. 6 is a greatly enlarged transverse sectional view through onelouver taken on line 6-6, Fig. 5.

Referring more specifically to the drawings and particularly Figs. 1 and2 thereof reference numeral 10 designates generally an enclosed casingfor a conventional indicating instrument having a front wall 11 providedwith a sight opening 12 which may or may not be covered with a sheet ofglass or other transparent material 13 and through Which the user of theinstrument may view a conventional movable indicating dial 114.. In thepresent instance the indicating dial 14 is illustrated as a rotatablecylindrical type dial having markings thereon to indicate the positionof a member but it will be readily apparent that the present inventionmay also be used with any other conventional instrument dial such as aninstrument having a stationary dial with a movable marker or indicator.

Mounted adjacent the forward bottom corner of the casing 10 and withinthe casing is the instrument panel illuminator of the present invention,designated generally as 15. This instrument panel illuminator is securedfor example to the side wall of the casing 10 and is supported withinthe casing. The instrument panel illuminator comprises an integralbracket member 16 of generally U-shaped configuration having a main bodyportion 17 which extends transversely of the instrument casing 10 or atleast the full width of the dial. 14 and a pair of forwardly projectingside wall portions 18, 18 which extend forwardly and angularly upwardtoward the lower end of the sight opening when the instrument panelilluminator is mounted within the casing. The bracket 16 is mounted onthe side Wall of the casing 10 by means of a supporting arm 19 formedintegrally with the bracket 16 and projecting downwardly below the mainbody portion 17 in the same plane as the body portion 17 and thenrearwardly parallel to the bottom wall of the casing and terminating inan integral lug member 21 extending upwardly from the outer endof thearm 19 parallel to the side wall of the casing 10. An opening 22 isprovided in the upper end of the lug 21 through which a bolt, rivet, orother fastening member 22a may be passed to secure the bracket 16 to thecasing 10. The entire bracket 16 is formed as an integral piece out ofthin sheet steel or sheet aluminum or the like and may be stamped in oneoperation from a sheet of material and thereafter bent into the desiredshape.

The two opposite side walls 18, 18 of the bracket 16 each have a seriesof slots 23 formed therein extending downwardly into the side walls fromthe upper edge thereof substantially parallel to the main body portion17 of the bracket 16. In the illustrated embodiment of the presentinvention there are three slots formed in each side wall with the twoslots closest to the main body portion 17 of the bracket being ofuniform depth while the outer slot in each side wall member is slightlylonger than the first two slots. It will be understood, however, thatany desired number of slots may be provided in these side Wall members.The two inner slots and the elongated outer slot in the opposite sidewalls of the bracket are adapted to receive therein louvers 24 whichextend the full length of the bracket 16 substantially parallel to eachother and to the body portion of the bracket and terminate in rearwardlybent ears 25, 25 lying outwardly adjacent the outer surfaces of the sidewalls 18, 18 to prevent longitudinal movement of the louvers 24 relativeto the bracket 16 and maintain the louvers in the desired position inthe bracket 16.

The bracket 16 is also designed to support a source of illumination suchas a conventional electrical lamp 26 mounted in a conventional lampsocket 27 carried by the bracket 16. A lamp socket 27 is supportedbetween two arms 28, 28 projecting downwardly from the body portion 17of the bracket and a third arm or spring clip- 2'9 projecting outwardlyfrom the body portion 17 and then bent downwardly in spaced relation tothe pair of arms 28, 28. These arm's 28and 29 are formedintegral withthe body portionfofthe'brackct provide a spring clip which supports thelamp socket 27. Electric power is supplied to the lamp 26 by means ofa'terminal conta'ctfil carriedtby a lug 32 formed integrally with thebracket 16 and projecting rearwar'clly of the main body portion 17 ofthe bracket. The terminal contact 31 is positioned between a pair ofinsulating washers 33 and 3d and then secured to the lug 32 for exampleby means of a bolt 35 as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5. This terminalcontact 31 projects forwardly of the bracket 16 beneath tlie'bracket andengages the center contact of the lamp socket 27.

The instrument panel illuminator 15 described above is mounted withinthe casing of the instrument to be illuminated as illustrated in Fig. lof the drawings with the lamp or light source adjacent thelower forwardcorher of the casing and the louvers positioned intermediate theli'ghtsource and the dial or portion of the instrument to be illuminated. Thelouvers are positioned at an angle relative to the plane of the sightopening so that the louvers lie in parallel planes which divergeinwardly away fromthe plane of the sight in a direction from the lowerend of the sight opening toward the eenter of the sight opening and areso positioned to prevent direct light rays from passing from the lamp 26through the sight opening 12. The surface of the louvers 24 away fromthe sight opening are polished to reflect light so that the light rayswhich strike these surfaces are reflected toward the face of the dial14. Alternatively, the outer surfaces of the louvers 24 which facetoward the sight opening 12 and the surface of the main body portion 17of the bracket 16 which faces toward the sight opening 12 are painted ina dull black paint or otherwise coated with a non-reflecting material asindicated at 36 in Fig. 6 to prevent the light rays from being reflectedolf of the surfacesfthrough the sight opening 12. By this construction,none of the light rays from the lamp 26 will pass directly through thesight opening 12 or -willbe reflected from one of the surfaces ofthe'louvers 24 or bracket 16 through the sight opening 12 and thatportion of the area the casing 10 which is shaded in Fig. 1 will not beilluminated. Thus, solely the central and lower portion of the dial 14will be illuminated. If desired, a second instrument panel illuminator(not shown) may be mounted within the casing 10 at the forward uppercorner thereof to increase the illumination onthe dial 14. Generally,however, this will not be necessary and one illuminator at one corner ofthe easing 10 will be sulficient to provide the desired illumination onthe dial 14.

, From the foregoing it will be apparent that the presentinventionprovides a novel instrument panel illuminator which isextremely compact and may fit within a very small -space in aninstrument to illuminate the dial of the instrument without directingany light rays outwardly through the sight opening of the instrument. Inaddition, it will be apparent that thepresent invention provides a novelinstrument panel illuminator which is of relatively inexpensiveconstruction and may be'easily stamped out of sheet metal and assembledto provide an lluminator which is highly eflicient and effective inoperation and use.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has beenillustrated and described herein it is not intended to limit theinvention to such a disclosure and changes and modifications may beincorporated andembodied therein within the scopeof the followingclaims.

. I claim:

.1. An instrument panel illuminator foran instrument having a casing;a-sig'ht'opening in one wall of the casing and .a dial within the'ca'sing'adjacent the eight opening,

comprising: a bracket'membermounted-within said casing outwardlyadjacentthe peripheral edge of said sight opening, said bracket comprising abody portion extending transversely of the casing and side wall portionson said body portion projecting therefrom toward the edge of the sightopening, a light source within said casing carried by said bracket bodyportion positioned outwardly adjacent the peripheral edge of said sightopening, and a plurality of spaced parallel louvers carried by saidbracket wall portions and positioned intermediate said light source andsaid sight opening, said louvers extending angularly toward saidinstrument dial and diverging inwardly away from said one wall of saidcasing in a direction from the peripheral edge of the sight openingtoward the center of the sight opening so that the light rays from saidlight source are prevented from passing through the sight opening bysaid louvers but may pass between said louvers toward said dial.

2 Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the face of each of saidlouvers adjacent said sight opening is coated with a non-reflectingmaterial and the opposite face of each of said louvers being highlypolished and light reflecting so that the light rays may be reflectedfrom said louvers toward said dial.

3. An instrument panel illuminator for an instrument having a casing, asight opening in one wall of the casing and a dial within the casingadjacent the sight opening, comprising; an integral bracket mountedwithin said casing outwardly adjacent the peripheral edge of said sightopening, a wall member on said bracket extending transversely of saidcasing substantially parallel to said one wall of said casing, side wallportions extending forwardly at opposite sides of said bracket wallmember toward the said one wall of said casing, means defining aplurality of parallel slots in said side wall portions, a plurality oflouvers corresponding in number to said plurality of slots beingpositioned in said slots in substantially spaced parallel relation, anda light source carried by said bracket positioned adjacent the oppositeside of said louvers from said opening so that the light rays from saidlight source-areprevented from passing through said sightopening by saidlouvers but may pass between said louvers toward said dial.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein the outermost of saidslots relative to said one Wall in said casing is of'deeper extent thanthe other of said slots and the louver positioned in said outermost slotis of deeper extent than the others of said louvers to prevent the rays.of light from the light source from passing through said sight opening.

5. An instrument panel illuminatorfor an instrument having a casing, asight opening in one wall of the casing and a dial within :the casingadjacent the sight opening, comprising; an integral bracketmountedwithin said casing outwardly adjacent the peripheral edge of said sightopening, a wallrnember on said bracket extending transversely ofsaidcasing substantially parallel to said one wall of said casing, sidewall portions projecting forwardly, at opposite sides of said bracketwall member toward the said one wall of said casing, means defining aplurality of parallel slots in each of said side wall portion, saidslots extending angularly toward said instrument dial and diverginginwardly away from said one wall of said casing in a direction from theperipheral edge of the sight opening toward the center of the sightopening, a plurality of louvers corresponding in number to saidplurality of said slots being positioned in said slots in substantiallyspaced parallel relation and extending angularly toward said instrumentdial, and a light source carried by said bracket position adjacent theopposite 'side of said louvers from said sight opening so that the lightrays from said light source are prevented 6, An instrument panelilluminator for an instrument having a casing, a sight opening in onewall of the casing and a dial within the casing adjacent the sightopening, comprising; an integral bracket mounted within said casingoutwardly adjacent the peripheral edge of said sight opening, a wallmember on said bracket extending transversely of said casingsubstantially parallel to said one wall of said casing, side wallportions projecting forwardly at opposite sides of said bracket wallmember toward the said one wall of said casing, means defining aplurality of parallel slots in each of said side wall portion, saidslots extending angularly toward said instrument dial and diverginginwardly away from said one wall of said casing in a direction from theperipheral edge of the sight opening toward the center of the sightopening, a plurality of louvers corresponding in number to saidplurality of said slots being positioned in said slots in substantiallyspaced parallel relation and extending angularly toward said instrumentdial, the face of each of said louvers adjacent said sight opening being6 coated with a non-reflecting material, the opposite face of each ofsaid louvers being highly polished and light reflecting, a spring clipformed integrally with said bracket extending outwardly therefrombeneath said louvers, and a light source carried by said spring clip,said light source being positioned adjacent the opposite side of saidlouvers from said sight opening so that the light rays from said lightsource are prevented from passing through the sight opening by saidlouver but may pass between said louvers 10 and be reflected from saidlouvers toward said dial.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 151,413,415 McPeek Apr. 18, 1922 1,555,397 Brooks et al. Sept. 29, 19251,670,012 Talley May 15, 1928 2,601,841 Zindel July 1, 1952 2,789,206 LeVan et al Apr. 16, 1957

